"We Don’t have to engage in grand, heroic acts to participate in the process of change. Many small, considered acts, multiplied by millions can change the world."
We see our journey into sustainability as a current and continuous work in progress. Our ultimate goal as a brand is to thrive in harmony with the environment and society in which we operate.
To achieve our goal we are aware we need to be conscious of our choices. To understand their impact on people and our planet. To lighten our footprint. To waste nothing. To consume less. To respect the makers. To keep traditional artisan culture alive. To slow our processes down. To encourage and inspire others to make choices that will bring us closer to preserving the health of our planet and all beings living on it.
Our world needs change. Change happens incrementally and with constant revision over time. A single act is not enough. It is comprised of the many small choices made along the way that amount to a great impact. Just starting is the key. Starting with small choices within our reach and then moving on to bigger choices that we can grow into.
"Life, religion and art all converge in Bali. They have no word in their language for 'artist' or 'art.' Everyone is an artist.” - Anais nin
Due to the demanding pace of fast fashion. Many artisan communities and craftsman ship traditions are threatened to extinction, in favour of digitalised machine labour. Artisans have historically played and essential role in Balinese culture. As a slow brand we choose to collaborate with balinese artisans to keep artisan culture alive. We use ancient and traditional methods of production. Our slow fashion processes include:
Hand Bundle dyeing
Hand, silk screen printing
Traditional balinese embroidery, hand stitching embellishments and hand knitting
Hand drawn and hand cut patterns as apposed to digitalised
Hand cut fabric as apposed to digitalised, machine cut fabric
These are garment manufacturing skills that have been used in Bali for centuries.
“Supporting hand skills means supporting people that contribute to a self-sustaining community. Clothes with a story and a heritage. It is a hugely important part of slow fashion. Artisans are doing more than bringing beautiful products into the world. They help bring humanity back into the fashion industry” - Into the eco
"Behind every powerful woman is a tribe of powerful women who have her back”
And by the way, we think ALL women are powerful. Given the means and opportunity and self esteem we can do so much. Even the most marginalised women in the world are also the most strong. They are the backbone of their families.
Our slogan “Fierce and Feminine” is rooted in our brand DNA and accurately describes so much of who we are. Our in house team is female dominated. What an amazing experience it is to collaborate with a strong, dynamic and creative group of women every day. Bird & Kite really is the embodiment of women empowerment! Further more, behind the scenes are our makers. These are also female led environments. What an amazing team of women it is who bring Bird & kite to life. Without them we wouldn’t exist. This is one of the reasons why we know how important it is to continue the work of empowering women in our own culture, In Balinese culture, where we manufacture, and also across the world.
It it a well recognised fact that when women are empowered with access to education, opportunity, participation and and leadership all of society benefits.
DID YOU KNOW: 80% of Garment workers are women?
"Bali is more than a place. It’s a mood. It’s magical. It’s a tropical state of mind. The island of the gods"
It is our conscious choice as a brand to manufacture from Bali. Balinese culture is so vibrant and rich and preserved by it’s people and law makers even in this modern world where culture is often swallowed up by globalisation and corporate greed.
We resonate strongly with the values that Balinese culture upholds. Family, community and spiritual practice is prized over and above all other things. Culture is valued over commerce. Sometimes this makes it harder for us to produce within the western constraints of deadlines and expectations, however, we prefer to work within this framework that reflects our brand values.
There are multitudes of spiritual and Hindu ceremonies that happen throughout the week, month and year that require our maker’s attendance. All manufacturers in Bali respect and understand this and allow their workers to take this time away from work. It is just accepted as part and parcel of Bali life. There are few places in the world who will value this over commercial gains. This slows down the manufacture process and means that garments are produced in small batches.
"You cannot exploit women in one country to empower them in another”
We collaborate with and donate monthly to BALIWISE foundation http://baliwise.org/ Supporting and educating marginalised Balinese women. This is a foundation close to our heart and a way for us to give back to this magical Island that supports our manufacture.
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